Girls pursuing Boys in Elementary school?

I'm not that old (early 30's) or out of touch with kids since I teach once a week, but something is happening that I never noticed. I do now, and listen more intently now that I have a baby girl. My friend's 10-year old daughter came home proudly announcing "I kissed a boy today!" to him at dinner. His jaw nearly dropped and asked her who this kid was and where he lives. She went on to explain that she has been pursuing him since the summer. But being an average 10-year old boy he's more interested in skateboarding and video games (Thank God that hasn't changed!). This isn't the first time I've heard or read about this and frankly, it freaks me out! I can't imagine what'll happen when the boys figure this out (dog and cats living side by side, glaciers floating into cities, Gigli 2...).
I always imagined myself scaring these guys the way girls' fathers did to me when I was a teenager. I pictured the knife collections on the walls, with maybe few deer heads, nunchucks, crossbows, karate belts bought off EBay- Something to shake them up a bit and keep them away from my girl. But this changes everything - girls never pursued aggressively, it was always the boys. And never in Elementary school!? Time to rethink that original strategy...

Dads and Daughters

Rod Stewart's 7th baby?

Rod Stewart may be at least 100 years old, but like a true rock star, his current wife(s) always stay the same age. His current fiancée Penny Lancaster, former model of course, just gave birth to his 7th kid. I find it interesting when aging celebrities you don't know much about have babies, because you find out stuff you wouldn't normally go looking for. Like how many times they've been married and to who. How many kids they have, where they live, and which songs they made that were put into movies.

CNN: Rod Stewart a new dad at age 60

Kids and Hygiene 101-

As a parent, hygiene for a baby is important. You clean everything, all the crevices, the ears, and especially make sure they don't stink. Then why do some parents let their kids go when they hit the 'teen' years? I teach once a week to High School kids and sure, most of the kids come crawling in as if they didn't have time to clean up. But its expected, I can live with that, its Saturday. But last Saturday I saw the nastiest thing- One of my kids, wearing sandals, had toenails the size of moldy surfboards! This wasn't just an overnight thing, it definitely took some time. Makes you wonder what his parents are like. Do they even know? How can they not notice? Maybe he's on the swim team and need flippers to swim faster...

Babycenter Hygiene

50 Cent to parents-Buy my game for yo' kids, ite!

My answer- "No freakin' way!" His game "50 Cent: Bulletproof" is rated 'mature' for blood, gore and 'sexual themes'. As a gamer I have no problem for the adults to play this stuff, if that's what they like. But he actually encourages parents to use it as a teaching tool? There are better options and violent video games aren't the best tool to do it. Honestly it drives me crazy when parents buy the Grand Theft Auto series for their kids without even thinking twice about it. And not just strangers but friends and family, who still live in Super Mario World.

Reuters:Bloody video game OK for kids: rapper 50 Cent

Video Game Dad and Xbox 360

So I'm not really sure if I’m a minority or majority Dad with this, but I absolutely enjoy playing video games. Ever since my first Atari 2600, Colecovision, Vectrex, and Intellivision as a kid in the 80's, to my PS2 now. I even worked for a big video game publisher just out of Art School and worked on a few Nintendo 64/Playstation 1 titles before most ever heard of those machines. With that said, this week, the new XBox 360 comes out and I’m not really enthusiastic about it. I'm not totally convinced its ‘all that’ as claimed. Honestly when I went to E3 earlier this year (the big video game conference) the games were pretty much the same quality you can already get with the original Xbox and a current PS2. Except playing on plasma TV’s (and a home video of a sidewalk looks good on one of those). Also the fact you pay subscription fee’s to play online after buying a $60 game isn’t much of an incentive. I still need to be convinced…

xBox 360

Gamespot: Xbox vs. PS3

Choices: Harry Potter in theatre vs. Babysitter

Things changes when you have a baby and you just can't go to movies on opening night on a whim anymore. Things like finding a babysitter for a 4 month old become a huge deal. Do we ask a neighbor with kids, a friend nearby who doesn't have kids (and not really sure if they even know how to change a diaper, or like kids) or friends with kids (one more won't tip the scale, would it…)? On these ‘rare’ occasions we really wished we had family nearby. My wife and I are huge fans of the Harry Potter books and have even resorted to taking an afternoon off work-which is becoming harder to do these days. A theatre, here in L.A. at the Grove, have Mommy Movies (don't get me started on the name) that allow you to bring your crying and occasionally finicky baby with stroller and all. But they're only on Monday mornings. Why not on weekends? Theatre owners-I would pay money if you did this! Please, do it for the children....

Monday Morning Mommy Movies @ The Grove (L.A.)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -Official Site

Tech-Kid gifts for Christmas

Cnet has some suggestions on what to get your kids for Christmas this year. Although I don't agree that most of these toys are what kids really want (more like iPods, XBox360, camcorders, cell phones, digital camera's with Spongebob on it). I must admit a few like the Darth Vader Voice Changer is likely. I saw a 5-year-old boy with one, a while ago, demanding his mom for some candy. Obviously the force wasn't strong in him.

CNET:Kid-friendly gifts

Top 10 Baby names Guarenteed to get your kid beat up!

There's nothing worse for a parent than naming your new baby. You have to think of something that's not too weird, not too common (Like Madison now, or Katelyn in the 90's-there's nothing worse for a kid's individuality than to be known as Katelyn #4) and most importantly isn't an open invitation to get beat up or made fun of for life. Theses names are just a few parents just need to stay away from.

Weekly World News: TOP 10 BABY NAMES GUARANTEED TO GET YOUR KID BEATEN UP!

Energy Drink for Girls, because a Red Bull won't do.

This is when you know energy drinks have gone a little too far. Now girls don't have to look weird with those 'boy' energy drinks like Rockstar and Red Bull. "Go Girl" Energy Drinks have the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee and will be sold in places like Hair and Nail Salons. But their marketing has a twisted message of focusing on being more of a health, diet and nutrition drink. A far cry from the good old days of just plain Tab cola.

Go Girl Energy Drink

Generation Y: Smart? Independant? Yeah right!

USA Today just did a bizarre story this week about how smart and great this new generation now coming into the work force. You should read it; because I honestly don't know who they're talking about and what rose-colored glasses they were looking through. The majority in their 20's we in the working world we refer as 'Kidults', because most still live with their parents (like roommates, but who still support them), don’t like criticism and their feelings hurt, demand respect-even when it's not earned, and are overall disconnected.
Who knows what will become of them and what they'll actually produce. I remember when the "boomers" complained when my "Gen X" crowd came into the real world as arrogant and rebellious freaks. Now I'm just passing on the tradition. It's all part of the cycle.

USA Today: Generation Y: They've arrived at work with a new attitude

Elmo "Knows your name"

Not only your name, but birthday, favorite food, stories, songs, color and just in case mom and dad don’t do it, he can even tell you when it’s time to eat breakfast. And Mattel’s Fisher-Price is hoping desperate parents everywhere will come crashing through Wal-Mart’s doors to buy one this Christmas. I’m a bit creeped out with these things like last years “Amazing Amanda” and an intelligent Elmo. Toys these days are getting closer to “Twilight Zone's Talking Tina” every year. I’m just wondering which on these Elmo’s will turn out evil, you know turn out to be the new Chucky by falling off the assembly line. Hey, there’s a movie idea…

Fisher-Price Elmo

Do-It-Yourself Sonograms

There’s the big urge to see and hear your unborn baby anytime you want to, like turning on the TV. This new gadget claims you can capture your own sonograms with the included digital ultrasound camera and watch strange abstract baby images on the LCD screen. Like nearly all-new gadgets these days, it comes with a USB output for your computer to share it with the world. I'm really apprehensive about these things with new parents falling victim to marketing. When we were pregnant my wife and I bought something similar called 'BebeSounds' Prenatal Heart Listener monitor and that thing didn't work at all. I should have known when the packaging said "non-returnable" and the sales girl told us that they didn’t take any returns/exchanges on this particular product. Obviously they knew it was modern day snake oil!

Aimo Sonogram

BeBe Sounds

Bill Gates: Are your kids addicted to the Internet?

Microsoft has some suggestions for helping out with your kids spending hours of IM-ing friends, playing games, or whatever online. Including not banning the Internet from your home and subscribing to their MSN Premium service. Maybe they should just encourage them to go play with the Xbox instead.

Microsoft: Are your kids addicted to the Internet?

Yoda *heart* Baby

Sure, why not? He's around the same size, has the same features - wrinkles and bald. Except maybe for the white hair, green skin, and Frank Oz voice. But they know Jedi tricks, when they drop stuff somehow they mysteriously come back to them. Why wouldn’t Yoda heart them?

Yoda Loves Me Shop

Kids clothes...by Madonna?

So what are we talking about here? Frightening images of boob bra's or latex was more what I was thinking if Madonna had something to do with it. But no, the English Roses Collection (based on her kids book) is a high-end line designed with her 9-year-old daughter's input. As for $136 coats and $76 skirts her stuff isn't coming to Target stores anytime soon. Which probably means my daughter won't be visiting Madonna's English garden anytime soon.

English Roses Collection

USA Today: Madonna in style